Teaching Troubles
by flyingbluebirds
Summary: Emma is really looking forward to start her teaching training at her former Highschool when her old teacher crush steps back into her life and complicates everything. Slowburn SQ AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Please be gentle. This is my first SQ fic, English isn't my first language and I'm still looking for a beta. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head and had to write it down. The rating might change in later chapters ;)_

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"Excuse me" Emma Swan murmured as she tried to make her way through the crowded train. She was already regretting her decision to spend an hour after her last class in the library to get some research for her paper done. This extra hour now got her fully into the rush hour. The train filled with people who just finished their shift and were on their way home and there was basically no chance for an empty seat.

Emma let out an annoyed groan as she kept pushing forwards. She hasn't eaten properly since the lunch break and just wanted to get home as soon as possible. It has been an awfully long day. She almost finished her final year at Uni, still those last few weeks were usually packed with classes from early morning till the late afternoon and the deadlines for her papers were getting closer.

Emma usually didn't worry too much about those though. She was a good student, always has been. She was used to work hard for her goals and right now this was to finally get her teaching degree. Becoming a teacher has been her dream for as long as she can remember and now she only had to hand in one last paper until she was finally allowed into the practical training.

Last week she received the mail that she was accepted for the training program at the school, she once visited as a student herself. Despite most students Emma didn't mind school when she was younger, instead she actually enjoyed spending her time there. Being in school was her escape from her foster family. It gave her the opportunity to see her friends and was just a nice change from her rather dull daily-life that mostly consisted of staying inside and taking care of her foster brothers and sisters. So Emma was indeed really looking forwards to get back to that school – this time not as a student but a teacher. She was actually very excited about getting to know the school from the teachers' side and was wondering how things had changed at Storybrooke High since she left. Maybe she would even get the chance to work with some of her old teachers.

The blonde woman was still trying to make her way through the crowded train and was once again regretting her decision to rent an apartment a few train stations away from her Uni. Sure, it was cheaper, but the constant rides in stuffy trains were really getting on her nerves. She was just about to give up her last spark of hope for a free seat when the train suddenly braked hard. Emma lost her balance, stumbled forwards and found herself pressed up against another woman. She muttered an awkward apology, kept her gaze low and was about to give the woman her personal space back when a husky voice made her freeze on the spot.

"It's alright, Miss Swan. No need to apologize."

She would have recognized that voice anywhere and when Emma finally lifted her gaze, she was not surprised to stare into a very familiar pair of hazel eyes. Eyes that she hasn't seen since her last day of highschool and that ghosted through her dreams ever since. Emma cleared her throat. Realizing that she and the woman were still standing far too close, she finally stepped back, the corners of her mouth raising up to an overexcited smile.

"Keep it together, Swan." She internally cursed herself.

Trying to get her facial expression back under control, she stuttered a simple "Miss Mills. Good to see you." Then moved very ungracefully away from the woman, not even giving her the chance to reply. Head down and cheeks in a dark crimson she moved further through the crowd, trying to bring some distance between herself and the dark haired woman. She finally found an empty spot a few meters away, trying to control her breathing again she realized she was still smiling.

She hated her body for showing such strong emotions towards a woman that was technically still a stranger to her. Well, to be fair, this was by far the closest she has ever gotten to the woman and her light smell of apples was still clouding her mind. Regina Mills has been Emma's English teacher in her final year of highschool. She was feared by everyone because of her strict teaching and was known among students as the Evil Queen. Truth be told, Miss Mills definitely wasn't the best teacher Storybrooke High had to offer – she just lacked the necessary empathy the job requires. If you end up in Regina Mill's class without being passionate about the English language and literature, there was no way you would pass it with an acceptable grade. The woman was moody, bossy and was definitely someone you don't want to mess with.

Yet, Emma always enjoyed her classes, which might be partially because her gay ass developed a huge crush on the woman the moment she first stepped into her classroom – wearing a pencil skirt that left nothing to the imagination. She didn't even need words to gain the class' attention. One deep chuckle followed by a death glare that would have made some of her students jealous if they wouldn't have been scared to death.

While everyone was trying to keep their gaze low, clearly intimitated by the woman in front of them, Emma couldn't keep her eyes from her perfectly shaped face. She was so focused on her starring task that Miss Mills had to say her name three times during the attendance check. When Emma finally reacted with a sputtered "Here. Sorry." Miss Mills reacted with a disapproving raise of her eyebrows. The blonde made a mental note to herself that apart from all her other flaws Miss Mills probably hated nothing more than absent-mindedness during her classes.

From that moment Emma has been always a bit more attentive in Miss Mill's class than in her others, she has always worked a bit harder for her exams, has always put some extra effort in her essays. She passed the class with a quite decent grade, but even though she spent hours of her time imagining about the dark haired woman, her interactions with her never got beyond an awkward good morning and some mediocre contribution towards her discussions in class.

She would have loved nothing more than to actually impress her teacher with her knowledge or show some of her usual cheeky side during their discussions in class, but around the brunette woman her mind always ended up being completely blank. Who would have thought that after all this time Regina Mills would still remember her name?

She carefully lifted her head to risk another view on her former teacher. The woman was reading something that Emma guessed was a student paper. She frowned and was obviously not very impressed with her reading. Emma couldn't repress a quiet giggle when she realized the woman was still chewing on her lower lip – just like she always did when she was deep in thought during her classes and thought nobody was watching her.

Emma was so distracted by her former teacher that she almost missed her station. She hurried towards the doors not daring to give the woman another glance. If she did, she would have seen hazel eyes that went from staring on the paper in front of her to intensely staring at a certain blonde, monitoring every move and eventually wandering lower as if to appreciate the skinny jeans Emma decided to wear today.

If Emma ever thought she was over her crush this little meeting at the train clearly proved her wrong. The brunette woman was the only thing on Emma's mind during her walk home. The way she said Emma's name still sent shivers down her body and she couldn't help herself but kept thinking about how good it had felt to be pressed up against Regina Mills.

The final realization didn't hit her until she unlocked the door to her apartment though.

She was going to start her teaching training for English at the same school Regina Mills was working. She was going to see her every day. She might even work with her.

Well, that was going to be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback I got for the first chapter. I'm studying for a teaching degree myself but the German system is probably different than the American one so please try to ignore eventual inaccuracies :p_

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Emma opened her eyes and realized with a quick view on her phone that she only had a couple minutes left until her alarm was supposed to ring. The woman let out an annoyed groan. She had barely gotten any sleep this night, which was partly because of her nerves, partly because a certain brunette has ghosted through her dreams. Not that she was complaining, but that dreams mostly ended quite… intense with her waking up all confused and needy but never actually giving her the release she was looking for.

Emma still couldn't understand why her former teacher had such a huge effect on her that she even influenced her subconscious enough to occupy her dreams. Since their brief encounter in the train almost three weeks have passed, yet she probably more present in Emma's thoughts than ever before. She clearly needs to get laid. At least that's how her best friend Ruby kept explaining her weird crush.

Well, she wasn't completely wrong. Right now Emma just had some more important things on her mind than spending her time on the dance floor or drinking in a bar, hoping to find a girl that would distract her mind from Miss Mills.

Speaking of Emma's current priorities – those were the second reason why she was struggling to get a decent amount of sleep that night. Today was her first day of her practical training as a teacher and even though she would never openly admit it, Emma was nervous as hell. Sure, this would bring her one step closer to becoming an actual teacher, but what if she messed this up? If she realized that she won't be a good teacher after all? If she wouldn't get along with her students?

She was so lost in her own thoughts that her alarm finally going off made her jump and accidentally hitting her head on her wooden bed frame. What a great start into the day… Well, at least she was awake now. Quietly cursing Emma got up and made her way into the shower hoping that the hot water would wash away the evidences of her sleepless night.

The shower actually worked miracles. Emma felt surprisingly refreshed and in a sudden outburst of confidence put on her favorite pair of dark jeans and a white blouse – she had worked so long for this and suddenly felt more than ready for that new part of her life. She quickly applied her daily makeup and brushed her hair that as a result fell in soft waves over her shoulder. One last look in the mirror, appreciating the unusual, almost professional look, and she was off to her first day in practical training.

As Emma entered the main building of Storybrooke High, she immediately felt like she has been put back in time. Everything looked just like she remembered, some overexcited Freshman chasing each other through the corridors, a couple of the older students standing together in groups right by the lockers, discussing their holidays and celebrating their reunion, the big bulletin board right in the center of the main hall on which different students and teachers promoted their project groups. She even recognized some of the artwork decorating the walls in the hall.

Emma confidentially made her way through the main hall and right to the administration area of the school. She had an appointment with Principal Gold in a couple of minutes and during her time as student Emma learned that this man hated nothing more than unpunctuality. She wasn't exactly looking forward of Gold being her boss since she never got along well with him in the past and always found him to be a bit shady, but Emma surely didn't want to piss him off on her first day.

She knocked on the office door and was greeted with a short "Come in." Emma took a last deep breath and entered the lion's den. Mr. Gold was sitting behind his desk, wearing an expensive suit, his face just as unreadable as Emma remembered. Only the hair had gotten shorter, she noticed.

"Well, Miss Swan. Have a seat", He gestured towards an empty chair right in front of his desk. "Who would have thought we would meet again under such interesting circumstances.", his face was still free of any emotions and Emma decided that a polite smile was the only appropriate reaction she could give.

"Apart from yours, we have also accepted two other applications. Miss Blanchard, who is going to support the art department and Mister Booth, who is going to teach maths. You are going to meet with them right after this meeting at the library and Mrs. French is going to give you a tour of the school and will settle all the administration matters with you." Emma nodded, a tour of the school was kind of unnecessary for her but she was still looking forward to meet her fellow students. She vaguely remembered August Booth from some of her classes, but had absolutely no clue about this Miss Blanchard.

Mr. Gold continued with lecturing her about the general behavior rules of the school and presented Emma her schedule for the next months. It was nothing new to Emma. She would get assigned a teacher, that would function as her mentor for her time at the school, later at the staff meeting. Then she would spend some time observing the lessons of her mentor, making notes on the behavior of both teacher and class and would after this finally get the chance to teach herself, at first always observed by her mentor and, as soon as she felt comfortable enough, completely on her own. The principal gave her a few more instructions, then dismissed her with nothing but a curt nod.

The rest of her morning went far more pleasant. Mrs. French, the school's librarian has always been one of Emma's favorite staff members. She was one of the kindest persons she has ever met, always there to help the students with finding the right books for their homework or just to have an open ear for the latest heartbreak. So, after a brief tour through the school, she spent the rest of the time before the staff meeting drinking coffee and chatting with the librarian, Mary Blanchard and August Booth, with whom she actually got along pretty well. The four were so deep in conversation that they almost missed to leave for the meeting. Emma grabbed her still half full cup of coffee and together they hurried out of the library in the direction of the teachers' room.

Emma could feel a new wave of excitement spreading through her body. The staff meeting was actually the part of the day she looked forward to the most. She was very curious who was going to be her mentor for the next few months and she was silently praying that it won't be Mr. Gold himself. On another note the staff meeting would give her the possibility to finally see Miss Mills again, maybe even get the chance to speak a few words with her, this time without doing something embarrassing.

She was so lost in her thoughts that the blonde almost didn't realize that she had fallen way behind her company. Trying to close the gap she walked a bit faster and was just about to turn around the corner when she fully crashed into another body.

"Fucking Shit", Emma cursed as she noticed that her coffee was no longer in her cup, but instead spread all over her blouse, leaving it dripping wet. "What the hell?! Mind where you are going. How the fuck am I supposed to walk around in this for the rest of the day?!"

"I don't really believe this is an appropriate language for a future English teacher, Miss Swan", an ice-cold voice replied and Emma's eyes shot up. "And if I recount this correctly, you were the one running around with your head in the clouds" Emma stared directly into the face of Miss Mills who was clearly not in the slightest amused by their encounter. Well, so much about not making a fool out of herself at the first day – great job, Swan.

The blonde woman cleared her throat.

"Oh gosh, Miss Mills I am so sorry. I was getting late to the staff meeting and was in such a hurry, I didn't mean to crash into you. Mr. Gold is going to kill me when he sees me like this and my blouse is ruined", Emma talked so fast she wasn't sure the older woman was even understanding a single word. Fantastic, that was even more embarrassing than not getting out a single word in her presence.

"Save it." Miss Mills snapped. Then she let her gaze wander downwards as if to examine the damage on Emma's blouse. Her blouse that was, as she realized, to her horror now no longer white, but instead completely see-through, her black bra clearly visible through the thin material.

"Though I have to agree on one thing", the teacher continued her tone almost teasing now, her gaze still lingering on Emma's chest. "Even though you're giving up quite the view, there is no way you can show up in the staff meeting like this." She hesitated for a moment, then handing Emma the black cotton cardigan, that was previously casually knotted around her hips, with a small wink. "Take this, now get yourself cleaned up. And don't be late Miss Swan.", she turned around and walked away without another word.

Emma nodded and stuttered a quiet thank you even though the other woman was already around the next corner, then quickly made her way to the next bathroom. She needed a moment to calm down anyway. If she didn't know better she would have said that Regina Mills just flirted with her? Well, she for sure stared at her boobs in a way that definitely wasn't appropriate anymore and gave Emma her cardigan. Before she could stop herself, Emma brought the piece of cloths up to her nose. Yep, she definitely didn't imagine the light smell of apples during their involuntary embrace in the train a couple of weeks ago.

Remembering that the staff meeting was supposed to start any minute Emma quickly changed into the black cardigan, her head still dizzy from the last few minutes, and hurried into the teachers' room.

She arrived just in time and was relieved to see that August had saved her a seat. "Where have you been, Emma?", He whispered. "Spilled coffee all over my blouse and had to change", she replied, purposely leaving out Miss Mills role in her little accident.

The latter was now sitting on the opposite side of the table, writing something down on the paper in front of her. Her other hand absently playing with a loose strand of her hair. Emma had to remind herself again to stop staring and focused her attention instead on Principal Gold who was standing at the front and already started his speech.

She really tried to concentrate on his presentation about the school budget and syllabi, but couldn't stop herself from letting her gaze wander to the dark haired woman at the other end of the table every now and then. When suddenly her eyes met Miss Mills' who was eyeing her curiously. Emma quickly put her attention back to Mr. Gold and didn't dare to turn her head another time for the rest of his speech.

It felt like hours until Mr. Gold finally started to talk about the new staff members.

"Apart from Mr. John, who is joining the Psychology department, we also welcome three student teachers at our school this year", Mr Gold now looked directly at the three young adults.

"First of all Mr. Booth, who is going to teach maths and will be mentored by Mr. Nolan"

Gold gave a short not in the direction of the blond maths teacher.

"Second Miss Blanchard, who will join Mrs. Arendale in the art department."

Another not this time directed at a young teacher with red hair that Emma didn't recognize.

"And last but not least Miss Swan – who will get trained to teach English Literature", Emma couldn't stop herself from holding her breath "and will get mentored by Miss Mills."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma couldn't suppress a surprised gasp that she somehow managed to turn into an awkward coughing. She could feel the whole room staring at her and murmured a quick apology. She needed a moment to process this information. Miss Mills never ever mentored teachers in training. Until a few minutes ago she was certain she would be assigned to Miss Nolan, the other English teacher of the school, who usually volunteered for that task.

Emma wasn't sure what she should make out of this information. Miss Mills was definitely one of the best teachers Storybrooke High had to offer, but she was also very strict and asked a lot from her students. Not to mention Emma's embarrassing crush on the brunette woman and her incapability to behave like a normal person around her. Her teaching training would definitely not be a walk in the park. Still, Emma could already feel the excitement building up in her stomach.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed Principal Gold ending the meeting. The room was suddenly full of polite chattering and everyone was getting ready to leave. Emma, however, still hasn't moved from her spot, her gaze fixed on the brunette teacher that was now slowly moving in her direction. This realization was what finally pulled Emma out of her thoughts.

"Right Swan, just be professional about this. You are no longer that naïve 18 year old girl, you are going to become a teacher. She won't eat you alive (not that Emma would mind)."

Even though her attempts to calm herself failed terribly, her voice was surprisingly confident, when the older woman finally reached her.

"Miss Mills, I am very grateful…." Emma began, but was interrupted quickly by the brunette English teacher.

"It's Regina for you now, dear." Miss Mills tone did seem almost playful now. "Given the fact that we are colleagues now, I think we can skip the formalities."

This caught Emma completely off guard and when she spoke again, all of her previously confident tone was gone. "Emma", she stuttered, "I… I mean sure yeah. My name is Emma."

"Believe it or not, but after three years of having you as my student, I am well aware of that, Emma." The brunette teased and Emma couldn't stop herself from smiling when she heard Miss Mills using her first name. Yes, she was definitely screwed.

"Yeah, right. So, uhm Regina, how exactly do you plan to do this?"

Miss Mills stepped forward and scribbled something on a piece of paper, which she then handed over to Emma, who couldn't help but shiver a little when their hands briefly touched.

"Mr. Gold already gave me your email address. This is mine, just in case you have any urgent matters to ask." Regina explained, her voice now all back to being cold and professional "I will email you your schedule tonight. We will meet tomorrow at 8 am sharp, to discuss what I expect of you. I hope you do remember that I don't tolerate lateness, so please be on time."

Her sharp tone didn't leave any room for discussion so all that Emma could do was giving her a quick nod. Without another word Regina then walked away and was already on her way out of the room when she hesitated and turned around to face Emma once more.

"Oh and Emma" she said, her tone now almost dangerously sweet "I specifically asked for this arrangement and am very much looking forward to it, so please, be a good girl and don't mess it up."

The smirk she then gave Emma left her completely speechless and the fact that she was just asked to be a good girl by her former teacher brought images into her head, that were definitely not appropriate in a school.

And what did she mean by the statement that she specifically asked for training Emma? What was so special about her?

Completely stunned Emma watched Miss Mills leaving the room and if she wouldn't know better she would have sworn, that the brunette was swaying her hips a bit more than usual. Anyhow, in the end Emma was just glad she didn't turn around again. Getting caught staring at her former teacher's ass would not make her situation any less awkward.

The first thing Emma did when she finally arrived home was calling Ruby, her best friend. The two girls were inseparable since their time Storybrooke Highschool, where they have had almost every class together. Emma had already dropped her a couple of texts throughout the day and she was now overly excited to learn every detail about Emma's new role at the school.

When Emma reached the point of telling Ruby about her and Miss Mills' encounter after the conference, her best friend couldn't hold it any longer.

"Oh Emma, you are so screwed."

"Shut up Rubes" Emma interrupted "Miss Mills and I are two grown women and I am sure there's a lot I can learn from her."

"Yeah, I am sure there is a lot she can teach you." Ruby teased, not even trying to hide her dirty intentions.

"Ruby!" Emma almost screamed.

"Come on Emma, I know that you got the hots for her ever since she first stepped into our classroom wearing that tight black pencil skirt. The expression on your face said it all." Emma almost choked on her wine. She usually told her best friend everything, she was one of the few people who knew that Emma was in fact only interested in women. But her crush on her former English teacher had always been her little secret and she was way too embarrassed about it to tell anybody.

"Shut up!" She hissed, only to add in a sheepish voice "Was I really that obvious?"

Ruby burst out into laughter after this and spent the rest of the evening with teasing Emma about just how obvious she actually had been. The effort Emma expended for all of her English classes, the way in which she defended Miss Mills whenever their friends were bitching about her strict marking, how she always managed to casually bring her up during their conversations, the way she was looking at her when she thought nobody was watching.

Emma's head got redder with every passing minute. One glass of wine turned into a second and a third and she was silently praying that apart from Ruby, nobody else paid enough attention to notice, especially not a certain brunette English teacher.

The two girls talked until Ruby had to leave for her shift at the Diner she was working in. Emma was already pretty tipsy when she then started her laptop to check her mails. She was then very surprised to find not only one, but two emails from Miss Mills in her inbox. Curiously, she clicked the first one.

 _Dear Emma,_

 _In the attachment of this mail you can find your detailed schedule fhlfchvhjhuwifkjdnjsfmcyi_

That was it. The mail literally ended in a pile of random letters, the promised, attached schedule was missing as well. Very confused, Emma opened the second email.

 _Dear Emma,_

 _I am very sorry about the previous email. My cat decided that it would be a smart move to walk over my keyboard while I was typing and apparently also hit the send button. Please read your schedule carefully so that you are prepared for our meeting tomorrow._

 _Kind Regards,_

 _Regina Mills_

Emma chuckled at the email. She would never have taken Regina for a cat person and the image in her head of Regina trying to chase her cat away from the keyboard was hilarious. If Emma would have been sober, she never would have replied to that mail in the first place. However, the three glasses of wine told her differently and Emma quickly hit the reply button.

 _Dear Regina,_

 _Thank you for the schedule and now need to apologize. I guess you need to have quicker fingers next time ;)_

 _Kind Regards,_

 _Emma Swan_

In her tipsy state, Emma hit send without thinking twice and she was feeling quite smug for coming up with such a witty comeback. Still, she was very surprised when not even five minutes later, her laptop announced the income of a new email.

 _Dear Emma,_

 _Believe me when I tell you that my fingers are usually pretty quick. Good Night._

 _Kind Regards,_

 _Regina Mills_


End file.
